CBR
Best Rom Coms of 2023, Ranked
By ALLISON WALSH
December 25, 2023
2023 has seen the revival of the rom-com genre, with classic romantic comedies such as Past Lives, Red, White & Royal Blue, and Choose Love.
From quirky meet-cutes to heartfelt confessions of love, 2023’s rom-coms navigated the tumultuous waters of relationships with wit, charm, and a dash of modern flair. The best romantic comedies can balance both an earnest perspective and charming humor. The difference between a good rom-com and a great one often comes down not to the script, but the chemistry of the characters. This chemistry has been palpable in almost every great rom-com of 2023, making it one of the best years for romantic comedies to date.
As the curtains draw on another year, it’s time to celebrate the silver screen’s most heartwarming and laughter-inducing genre: romantic comedies. 2023 was a year brimming with love, humor, and captivating storytelling. The rom-coms this year prove that the rom-com renaissance has fallen upon Hollywood, much to the delight of audiences everywhere.
10. Choose Love
Cami has it all, the perfect job and boyfriend but she feels that something is missing, and that feeling begins to grow when she meets Rex and an old love returns to her life.
- Release Date: August 31, 2023
- Director Stuart McDonald
- Cast Laura Marano, Avan Jogia, Scott Michael Foster , Jordi Webber
- Rating TV-14
- Runtime 77 minutes
- Genres Comedy, Romance
- IMDB Score: 5.0
- Tomatometer: 37%
Choose Love is the latest in the line of interactive content by Netflix. Bandersnatch was the first interactive content put out by Netflix, a movie-length episode of the series Black Mirror. Choose Love operates in the same way. Viewers watch several scenes and then are faced with an option, like a live-action RPG. The main story follows Cami, a music producer who is faced with choosing between three men in her life.
Choose Love is a light-hearted romantic comedy, but it relies on the viewer being willing to cheat on Cami’s long-term boyfriend to make any progress in the story. Many viewers were too loyal to participate in this form of cheating by proxy. This aside, there are fifteen different main endings to the story, making the interactive feature very fun to explore, if viewers are willing to set their morals aside.
9. Elemental
Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, earth- and air-residents live together.
- Release Date June 16, 2023
- Director Peter Sohn
- Cast Leah Lewis , Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen
- Runtime 1 hour 41 minutes
- Genres Adventure, Comedy
- IMDB Score: 7.0
- Tomatometer: 74%
Elemental is the latest animated flick by Disney, but has not been faced with the greatest of receptions. Viewers reacted poorly to the initial trailers, especially put off by the overly simple concept and animation style. However, the film came out to a generally positive reception following its release. The story follows a simple love story between a man made of water and a woman made of fire. However, when they try to introduce their families, things start to get challenging.
Elemental is about the blending and acceptance of different cultural practices. It uses “fire” and “water” to represent the different environments in which people are raised. The film shows that while being with someone who comes from a different culture may come with its challenges, it is well worth the reward of love. Everyone has their own talents, and no matter the differences, they all matter.
8. Shotgun Wedding
Darcy and Tom gather their families for the ultimate destination wedding but when the entire wedding party is taken hostage the bride and groom must save their loved ones–if they don’t kill each other first.
- Release Date January 27, 2023
- Director Jason Moore
- Cast Jennifer Lopez , Josh Duhamel , Lenny Kravitz , Jennifer Coolidge
- Rating R
- Runtime 101 minutes
- Genres Comedy, Action , Thriller
- IMDB Score: 5.4
- Tomatometer: 45%
Shotgun Wedding combines all the romantic tension of a rom-com with the high-strung energy of an action film. From this, it emerges as a delightful rom-com that effortlessly balances humor, romance, and unexpected twists. The film cleverly weaves together the story of a couple whose extravagant destination wedding is jeopardized by a whirlwind of mishaps and family drama.
What makes Shotgun Wedding stand out is its witty script that navigates between laugh-out-loud moments and heartfelt emotion. The chemistry between the lead characters crackles with charm, bringing magnetic energy to the screen that keeps audiences engaged and rooting for their love story.
7. XO, Kitty
A new love story unfolds when teen matchmaker Kitty reunites with her long-distance boyfriend at the same boarding school attended by her late mother.
- Release Date May 18, 2023
- Cast Anna Cathcart, Anthony Keyvan, Minyeong Choi, Jocelyn Shelfo
- Genres Romantic Comedy, Drama
- RatingTV-14
- Seasons 1
- IMDB Score: 6,5
- Tomatometer: 81%
While a series rather than a film, XO, Kitty excels as a spin-off of the hit Netflix rom-com To All the Boys I Loved Before. It fully fleshes out characters left on the sidelines of the original romantic trilogy. XO, Kitty focuses on the youngest sister of the Covey trio attending a prestigious school in Seoul to try to reconnect with her late mother’s roots, as well as attend the same school as her long-distance boyfriend. However, like in every teen comedy, hijinks ensue, and the balance from comedy to drama is tipped once again.
XO, Kitty delivers much-needed gay representation to Netflix’s platform and allows its LGBTQ+ characters to grow and make mistakes. It is chaotic and hilarious and maintains the heart that made viewers fall in love with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Audiences will enjoy watching this short series as a continuation of the Covey family story or as a standalone tale of teenage angst.
6. Sitting in Bars With Cake
Corinne convinces Jane, a shy, talented baker, to bring cakes to bars, to help her build confidence. But when Corinne receives a life-altering diagnosis, the pair faces a challenge unlike anything they’ve experienced before.
- Release Date September 8, 2023
- Director Trish Sie
- Cast Yara Shahidi, Odessa A’zion, Bette Midler
- Rating PG-13
- Runtime 2 Hours
- Main Genre Comedy
- Genres Drama , Romance
- Writers Audrey Shulman
- Producer Susan Cartsonis, Brent Emery, Suzanne Farwell, Nick Moceri
- Production Company Resonate Entertainment, All Night Diner, Amazon Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
- IMDB Score: 6.4
- Tomatometer: 76%
Sitting in Bars with Cake recounts the story of two best friends in Los Angeles trying to find love and purpose. Corinne, an outgoing music producer, works to get her best friend Jane out of her shell in terms of both dating and professional life. Jane struggles to talk to men romantically and with how to balance her own work goals with her parents’ daunting law school expectations. The two hatch a plan to give Jane an opener at the bars they frequent: she will bring cake every weekend for a year.
While initially a light and fun concept, Sitting in Bars with Cake turns somber with Corinne’s terminal diagnosis. While still a romantic comedy, this film focuses more on female friendship and the importance of unconditional love– in all its forms. It is a celebration of life and living while people are still in this world. This upbeat comedy will cause tears, laughter, and a poignant impact on the viewer’s life.
5, Love At First Sight
Hadley and Oliver begin to fall for each other on their flight from New York to London. The probability of ever finding each other again seems impossible, but love – and London – may have a way of defying the odds.
- Release Date September 15, 2023
- Director Vanessa Caswill
- Cast Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Rob Delaney
- Rating PG-13
- Runtime 1 hour 31 minutes
- Main Genre Drama
- IMDB Score: 6.8
- Tomatometer: 73%
Many rom-coms have that famous running-through-an-airport scene for the one you love, but few use it as a backdrop for the romance of falling in love. Love at First Sight is a rom-com that focuses on the meet-cute aspect of romance. But what if the main character loses touch with the person they’ve fallen for? This film is framed around a chance meeting on a long-distance flight, but the bulk of the movie is about the two main characters trying to find one another again.
Love at First Sight is a whimsical adventure that asks: how far would people go for love? It challenges the idea that love at first sight does not exist, and is a balm for the irony-drenched culture of today’s films. Love is a force that brings people together no matter what, and viewers will laugh, cry, and have their hopes for romance restored by this charming film.
4. Past Lives
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
- Release Date June 23, 2023
- Director Celine Song
- Cast Greta Lee , Teo Yoo , John Magaro , Moon Seung-ah
- Rating PG-13
- Runtime 106 minutes
- Genres Drama , Romance
- IMDB Score: 8.0
- Tomatometer: 97%
Past Lives is a romantic comedy only in the most cynical of senses. However, its romance and drama cast a powerful spell on any audience. Past Lives details the fraught love story of two childhood best friends throughout their lives. While some may consider it to be a traditional “will they, won’t they”, it breaks the mold. Past Lives reinvents the very genre.
Past Lives is bursting at the seams with yearning and philosophy; it reminds the viewer of an almost Greek tragedy. The purpose of the story is not to be alternative or edgy but to merely tell a different kind of story. The film’s closing lines will leave the viewer thinking for years, and in fact, may have them questioning their love story.
3. Red, White & Royal Blue
When the feud between the son of the American President and Britain’s prince threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations, the two are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.
- Release Date August 11, 2023
- Director Matthew Lopez
- Cast Sarah Shahi , Uma Thurman , Nicholas Galitzine , Ellie Bamber
- Rating R
- Genres Romance
- IMDB Score: 7.0
- Tomatometer: 76%
Red, White & Royal Blue welcomes back into filmography the art of the book-to-movie adaptation. Based on the book of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue is the story of the blossoming romance between the sons of two world leaders. A young prince and an upstart American political activist come together for a long-distance romance, featuring an enemies-to-lovers trope as well as a secret relationship.
The film balances romance with hilarity, and the chemistry between the two main characters is palpable. Its earnest nature harkens back to the rom-coms of the ’80s, filled with hazy scenes of love and ridiculous scenarios. The outstanding performances by Taylor Zakhar-Perez and Nicholas Galitzine are tender and believable, with physical comedy playing a big role in character communication. Overall, Red, White & Royal Blue is a movie for rom-com history.
2. She Came to Me
A composer who suffers writer’s block rediscovers his passion after an adventurous one-night stand.
- Release Date October 12, 2023
- Director Rebecca Miller
- Cast Anne Hathaway , Peter Dinklage , Marisa Tomei
- Rating R
- Runtime 1 Hour 42 Minutes
- Main Genre Comedy
- Genres Drama , Romance
- Writers Rebecca Miller
- Production Company AI-Film, Killer Films, Round Films, Somewhere Pictures.
- IMDB Score 6.0
- Tomatometer 48%
While She Came to Me is certainly a twist on the rom-com genre, it cannot be refused its title. Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway shine as a dysfunctional married couple, both at the top of their respective fields. Dinklage’s character, Steven, is struggling to gain inspiration for his next opera hit. His wife, Hathaway’s Patricia, rushes him out of the house and encourages him to “live” in order to find a story. The story he finds is of a woman who runs a boating service and suffers from frequent romantic obsessions.
Despite knowing about these obsessions, Steven uses her as inspiration for his main character in his next opera, a murderous love-obsessed boat captain. When she watches the opera, her obsession only grows. While the film may sound like a drama, the quirky backdrop of New York City means that anything can happen. This spontaneity creates the comedy necessary to pull off such a feat of a film.
1 No Hard Feelings
On the brink of losing her home, Maddie finds an intriguing job listing: helicopter parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before college. She has one summer to make him a man or die trying.
- Release Date June 23, 2023
- Director Gene Stupnitsky
- Cast Jennifer Lawrence , Natalie Morales , Ebon Moss-Bachrach , Laura Benanti
- Rating R
- Runtime 103 minutes
- Genres Comedy
- IMDB Score: 6.4
- Tomatometer: 71%
No Hard Feelings features the comedic comeback of Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar-winner and icon. The film follows the character of Maddie, a 32-year-old woman struggling to keep up with property tax on her home in the rapidly gentrifying Montauk, New York. After her car is towed, she is forced to take a summer gig working for two parents of a Princeton-bound son. Her task is to bring him out of his shell by dating him; if she achieves this, she earns a new car.
While a strange premise, No Hard Feelings delivers on all accounts. It is raunchy and laugh-out-loud funny. Jennifer Lawrence delights with her incredible timing and physical comedy, while newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman brings heart and charm to the screen. No Hard Feelings is certainly more comedy than romantic, but the sweet moments of friendship between the two leads will warm any viewer’s heart.
